rogers



4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

. P. ROGERS & J. PLAYER.

AUTOMATIG MACHINE FOE COATING METAL SHEETS WITH .TIN, &c.

No. 426,962. Patented Apr. 29, 1890.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

P. ROGERS -& J. PLAYER. V AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR COATING METAL SHEETS WITH TIN, 6170.

No. 426,962. Patented Aprr29, 1890.

x VII ill/[l4]! 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

P. ROGERS & J. PLAYER. AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR COATING METAL SHEETS WITH TIN, -&0.

No. 426,962. I Patented Apr. 29, 1890.

(No Model.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

(No Model.)

v P. ROGERS .& J PLAYER. I

AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR COATING METAL SHEETS WITH TIN, 81:0. No. 426,962.

Patented Apr. 29, 1890.

8 Tina 120., mo'ro-L UNirnnl STATES Barnett Orrrcn.

PHILIP ROGERS, OF STVANSEA, AND JOHN PLAYER, OF CIIYDAOII, COUNTY OF GLAMORGAN, ENGLAND.

AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR COATING METAL SHEETS WITH TIN, 8w.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 426,962, dated April 29, 1890. Application filed March 24, 1888. Serial No. 268,480. (No model.) Patented in England November 19, 1886, No. 15,040.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, PHILIP ROGERS and JOHN PLAYER, subjects of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, residing, respectively, at

Hanover Street, Swansea,in the county of Glamorgan, and Clydach, near Swansea, in the county of Glamorgan, both in the Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, have invented an Automatic Machine for Coating Metal Sheets with Tin, &c., (for which we have obtained Letters Patent of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, No. 15,0i0, dated November 19,1886) of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a machine that will perform mechanically the different operations necessary for the coating of tin and terne plates and the like, which operations have been heretofore performed by hand. The operations necessary to be performed by such a machine comprise immersing the plates to be coated into the pot of molten metal, lifting the plates thence until gripped by the pressing-rollers, and then, when the plates have passed through the pressing rollers, moving them away and placing them on a rack, which rack holds them until the coating metal has set.

A machine constructed in accordance with thisinvention comprises apot for molten metal, over which is fixed a box containing grease, in which one or more pairs of rollers are worked for pressing the plates after they come out of the metal, a flux-box through which the plates are passed into the moltenmetal, a cradle which receives the plates through the flux-box and which carries them down into the metal, afterward delivering them upward through the grease-box to the pressing-rolls, a pick-up apparatus which is designed to take-the plates as they leave the rolls and to deposit them in a rack or otherwise, and a rack or other suitable receptacle into which the plates are put.

Figures 1 and 2'of the drawings annexed hereto illustrate a machine constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 1 is a front View of the machine with the metal-pot and flux-box in section. Fig. 2 is a side view 50 of same, to a larger scale, with rack removed and the metal-pot and flux-box and part of the grease-box in section. Fig. 2 is a side view of the rack. Figs. 3, 4-, 5, and 6 are detail views drawn to an enlarged scale and hereinafter referred to.

The potA is of the usual vertical type, with ilux-box O and an exit grease-box containing the pressing-rollers G G The shaft L is driven by power and transmits motion to the rolls G, G and G by the gear-wheel 'i and to the crank-shaft c by the gear-wheels 7L gf. On the ends of the shaft a are fixed the side levers b I), one of which I) is connected to the crank e by the connecting-r0d (Z. This connecting-rod acts solely by compression, serving to depress the side lever I). The levers are raised by the counter-weight Z, and if this should prove insufficient, owing to any accident or stoppage, the crank-pin will run freely in the slot d, Fig. The ends of the levers I) b are linked to the cross-bar (1*, here inafter referred to. 1

The guidebars c, which are formed, preferably, of flat iron, are made double at the bottom to form a guide for the cross-bar d long enough for the full stroke of the side levers Z). These bars are riveted at their bottom ends to a bar it, which extends the full width of the potA and enters into notches or grooves A at the sides of the pot A, as shown in Fig. 6. The advantage of this construction is that should it be necessary to remove the guide- 7 bars when the pot is full of metal it is very easy to slip them back into place again. The top ends of the guide-bars are secured to the 8 5 front. of grease-box B by studs, as shown. Just below the flux-box O are side guide-plates 9*, the same distance apart as the inside of 0. They are turned over at the top to give easy entrance to the plates. The cradle H is hinged at 'L' on the front edge of the pot A, and I is composed of the same number of bars (bent as shown) as there are ribs M formed at theback of the pot A. These bars are kept together by being riveted to the cross-bars p '2' 0. The 5 ends of the bars tare extended beyond the bars on each side to form a hinge in the lugs, as shown, and the ends of the bar 0 are extended far enough on each side to come in contact with guide-plates 9*, and so prevent too the free end of the cradle when it floats in the metal from advancing nearer to the ribs M than is shown. Under the guide-box I a bar f works in holes in guide-plates 9*, (see enlarged view, Fig. 1,) and to this bar are riveted as many switch-bars m as there are bars in the cradle. The ends of these switchbars on are pressed against ll by the action of the floats S, one of which is fixed at each end of barf. The ends of m are carefully seated in notches formed in cradlebars IL The side levers b 1) are connected to crossbar (1* by connecting-rods h 71, and on (1* in the spaces between cradle-bars II is fixed a series of bars 6', furnished with sprin e that press against bars c", so as to form a series of spring-clips.

In the grease-box B are placed the finishingrolls G, G, and G Under the rolls G is a guide-box I, and under the rolls G and G are roll-feeding troughs K, fitted wit-h guides, as shown. The apparatus for removing the coated plates, and which we may call the pick-up,is collectively marked D, and comprises a standard carrying a lever 0', pivoted at w, and shafts m and m At one end the lever r is connected to the crank c by a jointed connecting-rod (1 and the adjnstable crank e is secured to the crank-shaft e by a tigliteningsbolt, as shown, giving motion to the lever 7'. A toothed segment on the other end of the lever 0' gears into toothed wheel .5, which is secured to shaft m. To the shafts m and m are secured in front the crank-arms m m", respectively, which carry the connecting-rod 0. To the shafts m m are also secured crank arms m m, respect ively connected by arod The crank-arms m m are fixed at right angles to the crankarms m m", so that a steady parallel movement can be given to the rod 0'. To this red 0' the mechanical fingers n are fixed in such a manner as to be capable of adjustment in a vertical direction. \Vith the arrangement described, when the right-hand end of the lever '1' is depressed, the toothed wheels will be rotated through'one hundred and eighty degrees by the toothed segment on the lever, and the crank-arms, with the connecting-rod 0' and fingers n, will be caused to turn about the centers of the shafts 771 and m and take up relative positions similar to those shown in Fig. l, but to the left-hand side of the center line joining the centers of the shafts m m and above a rack E. hen the lever r is moved in the opposite direction by the connecting-rod (1 the crank-arms, with connecting-rod 0 and fingers n, will be swung or turned back into the position shown in Fig. 1, ready to receive a fresh plate.

The fingers n, of which we preferably employ two pairs, as shown in Fig. 1, are made to act simultaneously by being connected, and are provided with a weight or spring 2' or a combination of both to give sufficient power to hold firmly the heaviest plates the machine has to work. The projecting horn of the fingers n, as shown, is in contact with a touch-rod is. Over the rack E (to be presently described) is another touchrod 7.1. Both the touch-rods are capable of being adjusted in a vertical direction by any suitable means.

The rack E (see Figs. 1 and 2) is of a circular form, as shown, and may be advantagconsly made by castinga disk of iron around rods already curved or bent, so as to present few points of contact with the plates. Two of these disks, with the rods, are secured on a shaft, and the space between filled in with wood lagging or battening to a slightly larger diameter than the iron disks, in order to presentalarge bearingsurface to the edges of falling plates, and thus to prevent damaging the edges. In the arrangement Fig. 1. the outer end of the rock-shaft is supported by a vertical stay and the inner end by the hob-plate, near which is fixed on the shaft a w0rm-wheel 5, into which gears a worm supported by brackets screwed on the hob-plate. On this worm-shaft is a small sheave '1, connected by a chain to sheave 1, fixed on shaft 077?. A short length of chain, with a balanceweight,is also attached to 1", which runs loose upon the worm-shaft one way, but moves it in one direction by means of a side camsheave.

\Vhen working large plates, we place a V- shaped guide over top pair of rolls near the tooth-wheel 11' to prevent them falling over until. supported by the finger-guides.

hen the machine is working, the rolLfeed' in g troughs K are kept full of metal, and they may be placed under all or any of them, ac cording to the quality of plates required. o lind by using these troughs we get a better and more perfect coating on the plates.

'We will now describe the working of the machine. The pot A is filled with metal, so that the openings of the grease-box l3 and flux-box O are sealed. Jlrease is placed in ll and fluxing material in O. The machine is adjusted for the size of plates to be coated. The plate to be coated is passed into flux-box 0 through the liuxing material, and when the cross-bar (1* is at its highest point its lower edge is pushed into the clips 0'. The plate in going down moves back the switch-bars in, which innnediatcly return to their places when the top edge of plate has been drawn below them. As the plate is moved up, it can only pass up into guide-box I and thence to the rolls; thence it travels to rolls G G G and is rolled up until free. By the time the plate has been rolled free from rolls G2 the crankarms, with conn ecting-rod o and fi 11 gers n, will have been swung over, and the horn 7.1, comingin contact with 1*, has opened them, allowing the plate to pass freely into the nip. Immediately it begins to lift, the horn is released from 1* and the plate is gripped. It

is then swung over by the action of the cranked arms in the manner hereinbefore described into a space between rods of rack l9. Then the horn comes in contact with. the sec ond toucl'i-rod and releases the plate, which ITO falls into the rack E. The fingers are then swung back to fetch another plate. While this is taking place the rack E is rotated by the chain, thus leaving a fresh space for the next plate to fall into when brought over by the pick-up. As the rack is thus worked round it allows the plates to slide off onto an inclined shelf, and (if they are not removed by the cleaners) they are then piled one on another without any injury, sufficient time having elapsed since they were placed in the rack for the coating'metal oralloy to set.

What we claim is r 1. In a machine for coating metal plates and sheets by passing them through molten metal, the combination,with a pot for molten metal, of a cradle comprising a series of connected bent bars, a cross-bar to which said bent bars are secured, and a series of springclips carried by said cross-bar and adapted to hold and carry a plate to be coated down into the metal an d deliver it through a greasebox, substantially as herein described.

2. In a machine for coating metal plates and sheets by passing them through molten metal, the combination, with a cradle provided with a series of spring-clips adapted to hold a plate to be coated, of means, comprising levers I), connected to said cradle and adapted to cause the same to descend with the plate into the molten metal, and then to rise, and means for mechanically operating said lever, substantially as described.

3. In a machine for coating metal plates and sheets by passing them through molten metal, the combination of a pot for molten metal, a grease-box, a cradle adapted to receive and hold a plate to be coated, and a switch arranged to direct the plate through the said grease-box on its upward motion, said switch comprising a series of bars on, fixed on a bar f, mounted in supports G and provided with a float, substantially as described, for the purpose set forth.

4. In a machine for coating metal plates and sheets by passing them through molten metal, a cradle comprising a series of connected bent bars H, a cross-bar (1*, to which said bent bars are secured, bars 6, carried by said cross-bar, springs arranged to act in conjunction with said bars to hold .a plate to be coated, levers b I), connected to said crossbar, and means for operating said levers, substantially as herein described, for the purpose set forth.

5. In a machine for coating metal plates and sheets by passing them through molten metal, the co1nbination,with a pot for molten metal, a cradle located therein, and" a greasebox arranged above said pot, of a pivoted switch m, provided with a float, substantially as herein described, for the purpose set forth.

(5. In a machine for coating metal plates and sheets by passing them through molten metal, the combination of a pot formed on its inner side with notches or recesses, a cradle arranged to work in said pot and constructed with a cross-bar, guide-bars wherein said cross-bar works, and a bar to which said guide-bars are connected, and the ends of which are arranged to'enter said notches or recesses within said pot, substantially as herein described, for the purpose specified.

7. In a machine for coating metal plates and sheets by passing them through molten metal, the combination of a pot for molten metal, a flux-box, a grease-box, a cradle located in said pot and provided with a series of spring-clips, guide-bars c for said cradle, means for operating said cradle, a switch comprising a number of bars m, fixed to a pivoted bar provided with a float, and rollers arranged above said grease-boxand adapted to wipe a raised plate and carry it onward, substantially as herein described.

8. In a machine for coating metal plates and sheets by passing them through molten metal, the combination of a pot for molten metal, a flux-box, a grease-box, a cradle'provided with a series of spring-clips, guide-bars c for said cradle, means for operating said cradle, a switch comprising a number of bars m, fixed to apivoted bar provided with afloat, rollers arranged above said grease-box and adapted to wipe a raised plate and carry it onward, and troughs K, containing molten metal wherein said rollers run, substantially as herein described, for the purpose specified.

9. In a machine for coating metal plates and sheets by passing them through molten metal, a pick-up apparatus comprising crank arms connected by rods and fixed upon shafts, gripping-fingers carried by said arms, and means for imparting motion in arotary sense to one of said shafts, substantially as herein described, for the purpose specified.

10. In a machine for coating metal plates and sheets by passing them through molten metal, the combination, with a pick-up apparatus adapted to automatically remove the coated plates one by one from the coating apparatus and carry them to one side of said coating apparatus,- of a rack connected to and intermittentlyoperated from said pick up apparatus and wherein said coated plates are deposited, substantially as herein de-' scribed.

11. In a machine for coating metal plates and sheets by passing them through molten metal, a pick-up apparatus comprising fingers adapted to grip a coated plate, a rod and crank-arms for carrying said fingers, means for partly rotating said crank-arms and transferring said rod and fingers from a position above said coating apparatus to one side thereof, and tappet devices arranged to open and close said fingers at the desired times, substantially as herein described, for the purpose specified. I

12. In a machine for coating metal plates and sheets by passing them through molten metal, a pick-up apparatus comprising me chanical fingers n, with arm for closing the same, a rod whereby said fingers are carried,

IIO

connected crank-arms for supporting said rod, shafts m m whereon said crank-arms are fixed, means, substantially as described, for partly rotating said shafts, and tappets 70 is, arranged to open said fingers at the desired times, substantially as herein described, for the purpose set forth.

13. In a machine for coating metal plates and sheets by passing them through molten metal, the combination of a pot for molten metal, a grease-box, a cradle adapted to carry a plate down into the molten metal and deliver it through said grease-box, driving m echanism, means for automatically transmitting motion from said mechanism to said cradle, and a pick-up apparatus operated from said driving mechanism and adapted to automati cally remove the plates one by one from the coating apparatus to one side thereof, substantially as described.

14;. In a machine for coating metal plates and sheets by passing them through molten metal, the combination of a cradle, rollers arranged to wipe a coated plate and carry it onward out of the coating apparatus, a pickup apparatus adapted to automatically carry finished plates one by one from said rollers and deposit them at the side of said machine, and driving mechanism for imparting motion to said cradle, rollers, and pickup apparatus, substantially as herein described.

15. In a machine for coating metal plates and sheets by passing them through molten metal, the combination of rollers that wipe the coated plate and carry it onward out of the apparatus, a rack to receive coated plates, a pick-up apparatus adapted to carry plates one by one from said rollers and deposit them in said rack, and means for automatically operating said pick-up apparatus, said rack being connected with and intermittently operated from said pick-up apparatus, substantially as herein described.

16. In a machine for coating metal plates and sheets by passing them through molten metal, a rack comprising a hub or center, a shaft whereon said hub is mounted, and a series of outward-extending rods secured to said hub and curved or bent so as to present few points of contact with a plate carried thereby, in combination with means for imparting intermittent rotary movement to said rack, substantially hereinbefore described, for the purpose specified.

17. In a machine for coating metal plates and sheets by passing them throughmolten metal, the combination, with the coating apparatus, of a circular rack constructed to receive coated plates one by one and to hold them apart, a pick-up apparatus adapted to take the plates one by one from said coating apparatus and deposit them in said rack, means,

substantially as described, for automatically operating said pick-up apparatus, and means for automatically imparting an intermittent rotary movement to said rack from said pickup apparatus, substantially as herein described, for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

PHILIP ROGERS. JOHN PLAYER. \Vitnesses:

HENRY Lnlu'cnv, I. \V. PHILLIPs, Clerks with llfessrs. lStricks & Belling 71cm],

. 8011's., Swansea. 

